Throughout the month of February, The Courier Eco Latino honors Black History Month by spotlighting local African American leaders or organizations—past or present—each day. The series features trailblazers, educators, entrepreneurs, artists, advocates, and unsung heroes whose contributions have helped shape the soul, strength, and future of our community.
These are stories that may not always make headlines, but make a difference every day. From classrooms to boardrooms, from pulpits to protest lines, from small businesses to grassroots movements, each honoree reflects resilience, leadership, and service rooted right here at home.
Ophelia DeVore Mitchell, a trailblazing businesswoman who shattered racial barriers in the fashion industry before becoming a longtime Black newspaper publisher in Columbus, left an enduring legacy of excellence, inclusion and enterprise that spanned more than six decades.
DeVore, widely recognized as one of the first African American models in the United States and a pioneering modeling agency founder, later became CEO and publisher of The Columbus Times, guiding the newspaper from the 1970s until her retirement in 2009. She died Feb. 28, 2014, in Manhattan at age 92.
Born Emma Ophelia DeVore on Aug. 12, 1921, in Edgefield, South Carolina, she was one of 10 children of John Walter DeVore, a road contractor, and Mary Emma Strother, an educator and musician. Raised in a family that emphasized discipline, education and presentation, DeVore credited her father with teaching her how to communicate effectively and her mother with instilling the importance of academic excellence and proper etiquette.
After attending segregated schools in the South, DeVore moved north as a child, eventually settling in New York City. She graduated from Hunter College High School and later attended New York University, majoring in mathematics and minoring in languages — an uncommon academic path for women of her era.
DeVore began modeling at 16. At a time when opportunities for non-White models were virtually nonexistent in mainstream American fashion, her light complexion sometimes allowed her to secure contracts in Europe. But rather than rely solely on personal advancement, DeVore set out to create structural change.
In 1946, she co-founded the Grace Del Marco Agency, one of the first modeling agencies in the United States to represent Black and other non-White talent. The agency provided a professional platform for aspiring models shut out of traditional avenues because of race.
Among those who passed through the agency’s doors were future stars such as Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, Helen Williams and Richard Roundtree — artists who would later reshape film, television and fashion.
Grace Del Marco Agency shows were staged in churches, on college campuses and in prominent venues such as the Waldorf-Astoria and the Diplomat Hotel. At a time when New York’s fashion industry remained deeply segregated, the agency became a rare gateway for inclusion.
DeVore also expanded her influence through media, co-hosting ABC’s “Spotlight on Harlem,” using television to promote Black excellence in fashion and culture. Her ambition came at a personal cost; she suffered a heart attack in her twenties, a testament to the relentless pace she maintained to build her enterprise.
Over time, the agency evolved into Ophelia DeVore Associates and later the Ophelia DeVore Organization, reflecting her growing international reach.
In 1968, DeVore married Vernon Mitchell, publisher of The Columbus Times in Columbus, Georgia. Following Mitchell’s death in 1972, DeVore assumed leadership of the newspaper, continuing its mission to chronicle and advocate for the Black community.
Under her direction, The Columbus Times remained a vital voice for civic engagement, social advancement and economic empowerment. She led the publication for nearly four decades before retiring in 2009. Leadership later passed to her daughter, Carol Carter Gertjegerdes, and eventually to her granddaughter, continuing a multigenerational legacy in Black press publishing.
DeVore’s impact extended beyond fashion and journalism. In 1989, she was featured in I Dream a World by Brian Lanker, a celebrated collection profiling influential Black women who helped transform America.
In 2004, she and Wesley Tann were honored by the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Arts Xchange, Inc. for their contributions to fashion and entertainment. She also expanded her business interests internationally, including work in Swaziland in the 1980s.
Throughout her life, DeVore remained an advocate for racial inclusion and professional excellence. Whether on the runway, in corporate boardrooms or inside the newsroom, she championed opportunity for those historically excluded from mainstream platforms.
Her career bridged fashion, media and civil rights — proving that representation was not merely aesthetic, but economic and political. By building institutions rather than waiting for access, DeVore transformed barriers into blueprints.
For Columbus and beyond, Ophelia DeVore’s legacy stands as a reminder that style, strategy and social change can move in stride together.
